A collaborative blog among students from Spain, Italy, France and Germany

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Answer to mystery 3

Hello!!! We are Daniel and lourdes from IES Vegas Bajas

Mystery 1

1 This song seems a little ancient: do you know when it's born?

This song belongs to Carmina Burana, a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff between 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana.

2 Who has published it more recently? In which collection?

In 1991, a group named Apotheosis produced a heavily resampled version of O Fortuna. The estate of Carl Orff (Orff had died in 1982, 9 years prior) considering it was undignified that the Carmina Burana be reworked into popular culture, immediately and successfully sued to stop the distribution of the record.[10][11] Therefore, it cannot be bought new in any record.There are a number of ballet interpretations. David Bintley, director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, created a ballet for the company, with designs by Philip Prowse. This was premiered on the 27th September 1995 at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The Australian Ballet have a production, choreographed by Natalie Weir, with designs by Dan Potra. This was premiered in 2001, and the work is performed with a full opera chorus as an integral part of the setting. Lynne Taylor-Corbett adapted the music to a completely different story premiered by Carolina Ballet in 2002, a Wall Street setting following a lottery winner lured into murky insider trading deals and wild parties, all the while ignoring his wife (growing away from him) and daughter (growing up before he notices). His spectacular (and quite literal) fall from the heights brings the story—like the music—back to the beginning, with fortune this time favoring another.Harvey Hysell director of Ballet Hysell of New Orleans, LA choreographed a ballet entitled "Carmina Burana" performed by Ballet Hysell at Delgado Community College in New Orleans in 1990 or so accompanied by live music using ancient instruments for the piece.Trans-Siberian Orchestra, headed up by Paul O'Neill, has been performing "O Fortuna" as part of their touring Christmas shows for several years now, and has now included a studio recording of their rendition on their most recent album Night Castle .

Excerpts, especially the opening and finale number O Fortuna, have been widely used in numerous movie trailers and in various other commercials. Portions also appear as background music in the films " Excalibur" and " The Doors", and sampled in the CD Screen Behind the Mirror by Enigma.

3 Could you look for the words of this song and try to translate them in your language?

It describes the atmosphere of a tavern of the time with people risking even the clothes they wear, carefree life's problems and making humorous toast to all social classes, ending dicendo they do what they like and stop others from getting in their lives and their way of sharing their leisure.

That one seems to me the equal of the gods, who sits in thy presence and hears near him thy sweet voice and lovely laughter; that indeed makes my heart beat fast in my bosom. For when I see thee even a little I am bereft of utterance, my tongue is useless and at once a subtle fire races under my skin, my eyes see nothing, my ears ring, sweat pours forth and all my body is seized with trembling. I am paler than [dried] grass and seem in my madness little better than dead, but I must dare all ...